Several students recognized during Honors Day Convocation

CANTON, Mo. — Several students were recognized during the annual Honors Day Convocation, shown live online on May 12, 2020 from the Alexander Campbell Auditorium at Culver-Stockton College.

Students were recognized for overall academic achievement, outstanding performance within their major, academic competition and campus leadership. Many of the awards have been established by or in memory of Culver-Stockton alumni.

Division of Applied Liberal Arts and Sciences awards

• The Most Outstanding Athletic Training Student Award was presented to Maryanna Catrine of Springboro, Ohio.
• The Dalton Biology Research Award, given to a senior presenting an outstanding research project and demonstrating high potential for future contributions in biology, was presented to Kyle Strange of Edina, Mo.
• The Dr. Thomas E. Slimp Endowed Award for Pre-Med Studies, given to a student who has made a declaration of intention to pursue a career in the practice of medicine, was presented to Kyle Strange of Edina, Mo.
• The Robert Mathieson Memorial Award, established in memory of Mathieson, emeritus professor of physics, geology, computer science and mathematics, and given to a student exemplifying excellence in physical sciences, was presented to Kelcie Darnell of Shelbyville, Mo.
• The Sciences Student of the Year Award, given to a senior in science department with the strongest balance of academic achievement and professional leadership, was presented to Elizabeth Hulsey of Sullivan, Mo.
• The Koch Divisional Award, given by Erwin Koch to a senior who is majoring in one of the social sciences, was presented to Shelby Winn of Granite City, Ill.
• The Mary Kane Bona Award, given to history major who has written outstanding research project, was presented to Samantha Schuler of Hamilton, Ill.
• The Mathematical Achievement Award, established in memory of Edgar Franz, professor of mathematics at C-SC from 1949-65, given to freshman who shows high achievement and future promise in study of mathematics, was presented to Abbey Conner of Springfield, Ill.
• The Outstanding Scholarship in Psychology Award, given to a senior psychology major, was presented to Kehley Bitzas of Greenvale, Australia
• The Robert H. Jacobs Memorial Award, given by the Mu Theta Nu fraternity to a student who has done the most toward Christianity’s cause on the C-SC campus, was presented to Madison Cowell of Beardstown, Ill.

Division of Business, Education and Law awards

• The G.H. Stenn Award for Outstanding Achievement in Accounting, sponsored by Gray Hunter Stenn LLP of Quincy, Ill., and given to senior accountancy major based on leadership, academic achievement, community service and involvement in the Institute of Management Accountants, was presented to Mackenzi Anderson of Dallas City, Ill.
• The Business Division Student of Promise, given to an underclass student, was presented to Dalton Myers of Quincy, Ill.
• The Business Leader of Tomorrow Award was presented to Alexander Gonzalez of Cape Coral, Fla.
• The Wieseman Award for Outstanding Research or Writing Project, established in memory of the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Wieseman and given to student who presents an outstanding capstone project, was presented to Mackenzi Anderson of Dallas City, Ill.
• The Business Leadership and Service Award was presented to Andrea Hoffman of Canton, Mo.
• The Outstanding Achievement in Finance Award was presented to Kailee Gaither of Canton, Mo.
• The Outstanding Marketing Student Award was presented to Alexis Janney of Canton, Mo.
• The Colman K. and Katherine Winn Award for Excellence in Education, established in memory of Colman Winn, a former student, faculty member and archivist, and given to senior education major who plans to pursue a career in teaching, was presented to Kelley Hufendick of Quincy, Ill.
• The Dodson Award for Achievement in Teaching, established in memory of the Dodson family and given to two education majors who plan a career in teaching, were presented to Carly Harper of St. Peters, Mo., and Luke Blackburn of Leeds, England.
• The August Vollmer Award , established in memory of Vollmer, the “Father of Modern Policing,” and given to a graduating criminal justice student who combines leadership abilities with academic excellence, was presented to Bryan Wutt of Wauwatosa, Wis.
• The Outstanding Scholar in Legal Studies was presented to Shelby Clinging of Fowler, Ill.
• The Sport Management Service Leadership Award, which acknowledges the commitment of service to one’s community, was presented to Jordan Cosby of Bridgeton, Mo.
• The Sport Management Student of Promise Award was presented to Alex Madera Perdomo of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Division of Fine, Applied and Literary Arts awards

• The Celia Frances Beck Creative Life Award, established in memory of Beck, a psychologist, horticulturist, photographer and humanitarian, and given to an upperclass student who as demonstrated talent in more than one discipline, was presented to Keelie O’Brien of Kahoka, Mo.
• The Charles Meyer Award for Initiative and Perseverance, given to an art student, was presented to Steven Walker of. Palmyra, Mo.
• The Ellen Bowlin Boulware Endowed Vocal Music Award, established in memory of Boulware ’33 and her interest in vocal music, love of young people and commitment to Christian higher education, was presented to Alexander Siron of Paris, Mo.
• The Emma Neale King Music Theory Award, established in memory of King, a professor of music from 1968-84, and given to a second-year music theory student, was presented to Brianna Holder of Moberly, Mo.
• The Evelyn Carman Wiechman Instrumental Award, established in memory of Wiechman ’46, and given to the most promising woodwind, brass or percussion instrument student, was presented to Emilie Rieffer of Canton, Mo.
• The Georgia O’Keeffe Memorial Art Award, established as a tribune for the contributions of O’Keeffe, one of America’s most successful artists, and given to an art major, was presented to Nevin McNally of Quincy, Ill.
• The Guy L. Cooper Poetry Award, established in memory of Cooper, a long-time member of the English faculty, and awarded for poems published in the literary magazine, was presented to Ahmed Barrow of St. Louis.
• The J. Leslie Pierce Award, established in memory of Pierce, head of the music department from 1945-65, and given to stimulate interest in serious musical study, was presented to Nicole Smart of Willow Springs, Mo.
• The Mable E. McCray Endowed Music Award, established in memory of McCray’s interest in music, commitment to Christian higher education and love for young people, and given to a junior pursuing a degree in vocal music, was presented to Marquis Smith of Mexico, Mo.
• The Mahan Prizes in Creative Writing, established in memory of attorney George Mahan of Hannibal, Mo., and given to honor students for their creative literary work, was presented to Charlie Williams (informal essay) of Birmingham, Ala., Vanessa Bolen (journalism) of Beardstown, Ill., Kaitlyn Conaway (one-act play) of Steelville, Mo., and Jacob Priest (short story) of Quincy, Ill.
• The Mathieson Musicology Award, established by Dr. Carol Fisher Mathieson, emeritus professor of music, to honor her many students during her 39-year career, and given to a student demonstrating achievement in musicology coursework, was presented to Victoria Alumbaugh of Neoga, Ill.
• The Outstanding Graduate in Communication Award was presented to Sabrina Kalips of Granite City, Ill., and Nicholas Luciani of Georgetown, Ontario, in Canada.
• The Stuart Hoyle Purvines English Award, given to an English major or minor known for contributions to class discussions, was presented to Lindsey Miller of Camdenton, Mo.
• The Theta Alpha Phi Upperclass Awards in Theatre were presented to Remington Jarvis of Canton, Mo., and Matthew Scheuermann of Quincy, Ill.
• The Thomas M. and Sharon J. Spoerner Art Award, established in memory of Thomas Spoerner ’60, who taught art for 42 years, and given at the annual Honors Art show for the Best of Show Award, was presented to Nevin McNally of Quincy, Ill., and Taylor Pitford of Montrose, Iowa.
• The Virginia Carter Ahrens Art Award, established by Maurice Ahrens as a memorial to his wife and given to a junior judged to be the most promising art student, was presented to Keelie O’Brien of Kahoka, Mo., and Steven Walker of Palmyra, Mo.

President’s awards

• The Susan V. Leftwich Spirit of C-SC Award, established in honor of Leftwich, wife of Ron Leftwich ’64, president of the Board of Trustees, and given to a student who demonstrates the spirit of Culver-Stockton through academic success and campus participation, was presented to Elizabeth Straus of Philadelphia, Mo., and Kyle Edwards of Fenton, Mo.
• The Rose Marie (Grossenbacher) MacDoniels Prize for Campus Leadership, given to a junior who exemplifies the courage, integrity, strength, grace and leadership of MacDoniels ’63, was presented to Erica Lundt of Oak Brook, Ill.
• The President’s Award for Exemplary Service was given to Bill Boxdorfer, director of the J.E. & L.E. Mabee Recreation and Wellness Center and student engagement; Cindy Freels, senior assistant to the president; and Alissa Burger, assistant professor of English and director of retention.

Student Life awards

• The Joseph E. Beck Humanitarian Award, established in memory of Beck, the father of Al Beck, a long-time member of the art faculty, given to an upperclass student who has demonstrated outstanding initiative and leadership in volunteer community activities and services, was presented to Kailee Gaither of Canton, Mo.
• The Mary Elizabeth Powell Achievement Award, given to a senior who has demonstrated courage, dedication, persistence and commitment, for whom graduation represents a distinguished achievement and significant personal victory, was presented to Jordan Graves of Springfield, Ill.
• The Anton Kozelichki ’14 Spirit Leadership Award (AK46), established as a memorial of Kozelichki’s love and commitment to C-SC as a campus and community leader, dedicated member of religious organizations and a fanatic of Wildcats athletics, given to a senior active in the college community, was presented to Macie Spencer of Alton, Ill., and Jenna Lord of Lee’s Summit, Mo.
• Recognition of induction into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, the second-largest nursing organization in the world, was given to Autumn Florea of Durham, Mo., and Jennifer Haerr of Palmyra, Mo.

Athletic Department awards

• The Keith Whan Memorial Award, established in memory of Whan ’41, killed in action in World War II in 1944, and given to an underclass male who ranks highest in scholarship, athletic accomplishment and general service to C-SC, was presented to Tyrin Holder of Hoover, Ala.
• The W.A. Herington Outstanding Senior Athletic Awards, established in memory of Herington, who coached multiple sports along with being a physical education professor and athletic director at C-SC from 1938-65, were presented to Mason Vires of Clarkston, Mich., and Kehley Bitzas of Greenvale, Australia.

College Honors Scholars Program Graduates

The mission of the College Honors Scholars Program is to enhance the educational environment by providing academic opportunities to highly motivated students. This mission is based on the belief that academic excellence requires high expectations and personal engagement. Therefore, the Honors Scholars Program seeks creative avenues for exploring and implementing this belief in both theory and practice.

The graduates, and the thesis of their final paper, are:

• Shelby Clingling of Fowler, Ill. — “Gender Discrimination and the Wage Gap”
• Derek Froman of Canton, Mo. — “The Sound of Italy”
• Kailee Gaither of Canton, Mo. — “Small Town Fraud, Big Time Problem”
• Blair Genenbacher of Fowler, Ill. — “Assessment of College Athletes’ Nutrition and Diet: A Quantitative Study”
• Sydney Scott of Metropolis, Ill. — “Get a Clue”

###